


Making it Work

by ErinisMagic



Series: Teenage Dadvid!AU [5]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: And Everyone is Worried About Him, Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Minor Angst, Teenage Dadvid AU, max is insecure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-23 20:35:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20014432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinisMagic/pseuds/ErinisMagic
Summary: Max has a hard time at Camp Campbell's. The place is bad enough on its own, but when one of your counselors is your dad, it's even worse. And when other campers think that's a good reason to torment you? What's a kid supposed to do?





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> As always, based off of [@directium](http://archiveofourown.org/users/directium)'s wonderful [Teenage Dadvid!AU](http://directium.tumblr.com/tagged/Teenage-Dadvid-AU)

David smiled as he looked at the group of kids in the mess hall. It was the first day of camp, and this year they had an all new set of faces. Max was the only one who'd been at Camp Campbell before—as much as he hated the place, he couldn't stay home alone all summer while David worked. He was sulking in the back of the group, glaring at the floor as if it had personally offended him.

David felt his happiness waver. As much as he loved being a counselor at Camp Campbell, he hated seeing his son so upset. He'd hoped Max would eventually grow to love the camp like he had, but he'd been bringing Max here for years by now and the kid showed no sign of warming up to it.

He tried to put it out of his mind. Past experience had taught him that there was no way of changing Max's feelings towards anything; regardless of how hard David tried, Max would hate camp if he wanted to. What he had to focus on now was his job.

“Good morning, campers!” he all but yelled, greeting the kids with a bright smile.

No one responded. A one or two kids seemed vaguely interested, but the rest looked at him with bored expressions.

David recovered after the small awkward silence. “Well, welcome to Camp Campbell. My name's David, and I'll be one of your camp counselors for this summer. And this is my co-counselor Gwen!”

Gwen gave a brief wave at the introduction, but didn't say anything. Like Max, she didn't particularly want to be there, though she at least had the incentive of being paid. She had needed a job after college and, having no luck finding one, David had happily directed her to Camp Campbell. It sucked, but a paycheck was a paycheck; David was the only one in their little family who was in any way enthusiastic about the camp.

Despite the lack of interest from everyone around him, David continued on as brightly as ever. He directed everyone's attention to the hand-drawn map of the camp grounds he had hung on the wall for the campers' first day, pointing out where all of the camp's facilities were. He caught a few eye rolls from the campers, and some whispers and snickers from a small cluster in the back, but refused to let it get to him. He shuffled the papers on his clipboard until the tent assignments were on top. Wasting no time getting into it, he began calling out the pairs on the list and telling them which tent would be theirs while they were at camp. A few disinterested glances were shared between the kids as they got paired up, which was not as enthusiastic a greeting David hoped to see among the campers, but it didn't seem like anyone was going to object to their tentmate on sight, so he counted it as a win.

“You can head on over to your tents in just a few minutes,” he continued brightly. “We've got half an hour set aside for you to start unpacking and settle in, and then we can all head on over to the activities field!” He gave the group a wide smile that was returned by no one. He heard someone groan quietly, but ignored it in favor of continuing his welcome speech. “I have to say, I'm really excited about the range of interests in this year's group. I've been looking through all the different camps that you signed up for, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun with—”

“Oh man, just listen to this guy,” one of the kids jeered to their friends. “Shut up already!”

David had expected some jibes from the campers. It happened every year, and he was starting to get used to it. He was unprepared, however, for the familiar voice that spoke up next:

“Yeah, _David._ Shut up.”

“I—Max?” He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice, but a small amount slipped in anyway.

Max was looking at the floor, face half-tucked into his shoulder. He was trying to keep a stern face, but his glare was turning into a pout. David felt worry starting to creep in along with his confusion.

“Max, you can't—” Gwen started, ready to reprimand him.

“No, it's okay,” David cut in, speaking quieter so only Gwen could hear. “I'll talk to him about it later. For now, let's get everyone settled.” He turned back to the group, swallowing down his feelings for a moment so he could get things back on track. “Does anyone need help with their tent assignments?”

***

David walked through the tent area, checking to make sure all the campers were getting settled. He didn't think anyone would need help unpacking, but he was a little worried about making sure everyone got along. They would be sharing tents for their entire time at camp, and unfortunately the assigned pairs were a little random. David had tried to match the kids by their interests, but only two kids had signed up for the same camp and he had no idea what their personalities might be like.

Max had his own tent this year. There was an odd number of campers, and David couldn't even pretend he showed no favoritism. Besides, Max had had some troubles with other campers in the past. David had hoped the extra space might help, but with the way the session had started he was beginning to have some doubts.

Max's tent was at the end of the row. David pushed the tent flap aside just enough so he could peer inside. Max was sitting on the ground, leaning against the bed with his chin resting on his knees. David didn't have anything to knock on, so he cleared his throat to let Max know he was there. “Hey, Max,” he called softly. “Can I come in?”

“Would you leave if I said no?”

David shook his head, watching his son with concern evident on his face. Max rolled his eyes and looked away. He listened to the shuffle of David slipping into his tent and coming to sit down next to him without once glancing up.

There was a long moment where David didn't say anything, and it set Max on edge. David was only quiet like this when he was about to launch into some cheesy speech, and Max was in no mood to listen. “So am I in trouble or what?” he spat, hoping to just get it over with.

“No, Max,” David said in that stupid soft tone he used whenever Max was upset; it was supposed to be soothing, but more often than not it just made him sick. “I'm not mad. I just want to know what's going on.”

Max huffed. “Why do you care?”

That stung a bit, but David refused to show it. “Because I love you, and if something is bothering you, I want to help.”

“Well I don't want your help.”

“That's too bad, because I'm giving it anyway. Tell me what's wrong.”

“It's nothing. Don't worry about it.” The fact that he was scowling as he said this in no way contributed to its believability.

“It doesn't sound like nothing. It sounds like you're upset.”

“So what if I am?”

“If you are,” David said, “I want to find a way to help you feel better.”

“You could start by leaving me alone,” Max grumbled.

David lapsed back into silence for a moment, trying to think of what could be wrong. “Do I embarrass you?”

“Duh,” Max said with a roll of his eyes, but there wasn't enough bite behind it for it to be what was eating him.

It took a moment, but David began to catch on. “Is this about what happened last year?” He'd never heard the full story, but he did know that some of the old campers had enjoyed giving Max a hard time. He'd made an unfortunately easy target, being not only the youngest in the group but also rather small for his age. Max had come to him about it a few times in the beginning, and of course he'd lectured the kids about it immediately. Max never mentioned anything happening after that, so David had hoped that it stopped. But with the amount of time Max spent avoiding that group of campers in particular that summer, he doubted that it had.

He'd asked Max nearly every day if the other kids were still bothering him, but he always denied that anything was happening. And of course David noticed the snickers that followed the kid everywhere, the number of things that had been “accidentally” thrown at him, but still Max refused to admit that something was going on.

Even though there was a completely new group of campers this year, David knew it was possible the problem could resurface. Maybe it already had. His heart twinged at the thought that people might be hurting Max and he didn't say anything.

“Kind of,” Max said, but he sounded uncertain. “It's complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it's complicated! You don't understand.”

David sighed. “You're right, I don't. But I'd like to.” He watched Max for a moment. He still wasn't looking at him, his face tucked away in his elbow. “Will you talk to me about it?”

Max was silent for a long time, so long that David began to doubt he'd get an answer out of him. But eventually he shifted, turning his head even farther away as he said, “It's just... _humiliating._ ”

“What is?”

“You being my dad.”

David's breath caught in his throat for a few seconds. “Because I'm also your counselor?” he tried to clarify, hoping that that was it. He didn't think he could take it if Max was so upset because of something he did.

“Yes. No? I don't know.” He was getting frustrated, so David kept silent, giving him time to choose his words. “We aren't,” he began slowly, “normal.”

“What do you mean?” For a moment, David was worried that this had something to do with the fact that Max was adopted. He'd never even tried to keep it a secret, and Max had never seemed bothered by it, but he knew that some mean-spirited kids could easily use it against him.

“I mean, you're twenty-two. Most people don't even have babies until they're older, let alone kids my age. And it's _weird_.”

Oh. David took a deep breath, trying to think of what to say to that. He reached out and experimentally laid a hand on Max's back. He didn't shake him off, so David pulled him closer to lean against his side. He still wouldn't look at him, but David was just glad to be able to provide some physical reassurance for the truth he knew he had to drop.

“You're right,” he said. “It is.” Max's head snapped up, but this time it was David refusing to meet his eyes. He stared at the wall of the tent, wracking his brain for a way to phrase this that wouldn't break his son's heart. He always knew he'd have to have this conversation with him one day, but he felt woefully unprepared.

“I was way too young when I became your dad—I was only in my first year of high school. And you know that I haven't talked to my own parents since I was about your age, so I didn't have any help. I had no idea what I was doing; honestly, I'm still not sure how I managed. But you needed me.

“Most kids get adopted through an agency, with a lot of rules and regulations to make sure that the kid gets put in a good family. But not you.” He took a deep breath. “When your parents couldn't take care of you, they... left you, for me to find.” As much as he wanted to be honest with him, David couldn't bring himself to admit the whole truth of the situation. “I know I should have taken you to the authorities, gotten you placed in foster care, but so many wonderful kids get lost in that system. And I didn't want the same thing to happen to you, so I kept you.”

Max was quiet for a moment as he pieced it all together. “So, what? I was literally the baby left on your doorstep?”

He exhaled slowly, pulling Max closer to his side. “Something like that.”

They both fell silent, then. David knew it was a lot to take in, so he let Max take his time dealing with the new information. When the silence stretched longer than he expected, he squeezed Max's shoulders a bit. “Are you alright?”

Max sighed. “I don't know.”

“This doesn't change anything,” David told him. “I'm still your dad, and I still love you as much as I ever have.”

“Yeah,” Max mumbled softly, sounding a little lost.

David nodded to himself, unsure of what else to say. Whenever he thought about having this conversation in the past, he figured it would probably take place at home, where they were both comfortable and he'd had time to prepare. Here at camp, with Max already in a bad mood, he couldn't help but wonder if he should have waited a little longer to tell him.

Max's voice was soft when he broke David out of his musings. “Can I call you David? Just while we're at camp, so the other kids won't...” Won't know David's his dad. Won't realize what happened. Won't make fun of him for being a freak.

“If that's what you want.”

“It won't bother you?”

David shook his head. If he was being honest, it did bother him just a little. But that was more because of the things Max had to deal with than his solution. He could put up with his son pretending he was only his counselor for a few months if it spared him from the other kids' teasing. At least, he hoped he could.

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, finally relaxing into David's hold.

The silence that settled on the tent was comfortable after that. David knew they'd have to get up soon—he still had to lead the campers in all of their welcome activities—but he didn't want the moment to end just yet. Instead he just sat, holding his son, listening to the chirps of birds in the trees and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

It was Max who spoke first. “Do you ever regret it? Keeping me?”

David pulled him closer, planting a kiss on the top of his head. “Not even for a second.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm not dead!! It's only been, what, a year and a quarter since i uploaded? Hhahahaaaaa... sorry about that. But I'm back now with more Teenage Dadvid content! Yes, this story has two chapters, but I don't know when the second will be up. I have it mostly done right now, there are just a few scenes I have to finish up, but these scenes have been giving me trouble for months so I don't know how fast (or well) I'll be able to get them done. I originally didn't want to post this first chapter until I had the second done, but I don't want to keep you waiting on this for longer than you have been already. Thanks so much for your patience with this series while I struggle to get my life together!
> 
> As always, there's quite a few things I'm not entirely happy with in this chapter, but if I spent any longer hung up on it then it would never get posted. Right now I'm just reminding myself that just getting it done is way better than leaving it in my drafts forever because "it's not good enough yet." Anyway, I'm more pleased with the next chapter, so I'm just getting this out of the way now so that can get posted (hopefully) soon. 
> 
> Again, thanks for your patience, and thanks for reading!


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usually, Max is nothing but excited for the end of a camp session. This year, he's got mixed feelings.

The end of a camp session was always bittersweet for David. It hurt to say goodbye to the woods and all of his amazing campers, but at the same time, he loved the feeling of bringing Max home, of being his dad again instead of his counselor. He was even looking forward to their traditional movie mock—one of Max's favorite hobbies was making fun of bad movies, and every so often David would join him. Every year, the night they came home from camp, they would pick up a pizza and a gallon of ice cream, plant themselves on the couch, and trash the shit out of a few movies of Max's choice. This year, the selection consisted of _Pumaman_ and _Birdemic: Shock and Terror,_ both of which, Max assured him, were irredeemable piles of garbage.

The campers were all in their tents finishing up packing, and David and Gwen were making rounds through the grounds to make sure nothing was going to be left behind. David poked his head into Max and Neil's tent as he passed, smiling brightly. “Hey guys! Just checking in. Do you need any help with your bags?”

“Oh my God, David,” Max yelled, chucking a dirty shirt at his head. “Go worry about your own bags, you nit-picking fuck!”

The shirt hit him square in the face and hung there for a moment before it slid off. David let it drop to the ground, smile still in place. “Alrighty, then. Remember, the bus leaves at two. Make sure you bring all of your things with you!”

David pulled away from the tent, waiting until the flap fell back into place before letting out a deep breath, his cheery expression slipping away for a moment. He knew Max wasn't actually trying to hurt his feelings, but some of the insults still stung. When they got home, he'd probably have to have a talk with Max about the line between insulting someone because you love them and just plain insulting them.

He rolled his shoulders, putting his smile back on to get through the rest of the day. He still had a lot of work to do before closing up the grounds for the fall. He put this issue aside for the moment, tucking it away in the special _to-be-dealt-with-after-camp_ category in his mind with all of the other family matters that had come up during the summer. Tomorrow, when he and Max were home, well-rested and relaxed, they'd get into it. For now, his main concern was making sure the camp grounds were clean and the kids made it onto the bus with all of their belongings.

***

As soon as David's face disappeared from the tent, Max rolled his eyes and turned back to his mostly-packed bag. He left the dirty shirt on the ground where it fell, grabbing the last few items he still had on his bed and stuffing them into his bag.

Neil chuckled, packing his own bags in a more organized manner. “I'm guessing you won't miss having him hang around everyday.”

Max hummed noncommittally. Of course, Neil didn't know that for Max, David _would_ still be there everyday. He'd never told his friends that David was his dad; the summer from three years ago, when the older kids realized something was weird about his little family and decided that was justification for making his life hell, still hurt to think about. He didn't want to risk similar treatment from this group of campers, and especially not his friends. Rather than get into it, he said, “But it's not like I'll never see him again.”

“You think you'll end up here again next summer?”

Max scowled. “Without a doubt.” He wasn't expecting David to give up on the camp any time soon, and it would take nothing short of a miracle to convince him to let Max do something else for the summer. “I'm guessing you won't.”

“Probably not,” Neil said, sounding a little uncomfortable. “I'm going to try to find a real science camp to go to.”

“Oh.” He tried to school his features, to hide his disappointment in that, but he doubted he had much success. “You and your nerd stuff, Neil,” he joked, but it fell a little flat.

“Nikki might come back. She likes the woods.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Though he doubted that. Nikki may like nature, but she wasn't stupid—there was no way she was going to settle for a camp as shitty as Campbell's. She'd probably find an actual adventure camp, or at least a normal nature camp that didn't suck, and Max would be here alone for yet another summer.

He felt a rising tide of emotions poised to crash over him. It was no fair: he finally makes friends like he was supposed to and they up and leave him. Tears stung his eyes and he blinked hard to chase them away. He tried to hang onto his usual anger, but the sadness and abandonment still threatened to break free. He needed to leave before he did something stupid, like let Neil see him cry.

“You know, just because I'm not coming back doesn't mean we won't be friends,” Neil said, trying to fix the tension that had suddenly settled between them. “We can text, or call, or video-chat. I'll even write over the summer, so we won't be stopped by the shitty reception out here.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Max said, not bothering to care about how flat the words sounded. He yanked the zipper on his bag shut. “I'm gonna go throw this on the bus,” he said, leaving the tent before Neil could respond.

David was still making his way through the tent area, checking on the campers, when he saw Max stalk out of his tent, eyes wet and gripping the strap of his bag painfully tight. Despite the front he was putting up, David could immediately see how upset his son was. “Max?” he called gently. “Is everything okay?”

Max didn't even spare him a glance as he passed. “Peachy.”

David bit his lip as Max stomped by. He wanted to go after him, to find out what was wrong and try to make it okay, but that would be the last thing Max wanted right now. Still, he couldn't just ignore the fact that Max was upset—David took care of the emotional well-being of all his campers, so checking up on Max now wouldn't single him out as receiving special treatment. Max might not see it that way, though, and David didn't want to upset him further.

His saving grace came in the form of Gwen, also doing rounds through the grounds to make sure nothing was left behind accidentally. “David, you would not believe what some of the—” she started, cutting herself off when she saw the look on David's face. “What happened?”

“I'm not sure.”

Gwen followed his line of sight, watching Max stomp off toward the bus. She frowned. She was never as good at reading Max's emotions as David was, but it was still clear as day to her that this wasn't one of Max's usual bad moods. “You're not going to go after him?” David had never been the type of dad to leave his son alone when he was upset.

“You know he doesn't like it when I make a big deal over him. Especially here.” David wrung his hands; the effort of keeping away was making him fidgety. “I don't want to make him feel worse.”

Gwen sighed. “Keep checking tents. I'll go talk to him.”

David gave her a grateful smile as she headed towards the bus. Max was already on it when she got there, his bag dropped on a seat in the back. He didn't seem to notice she was there as he wiped his eyes on the shoulder of his hoodie.

“Max?” she called softly. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” he spat back, turning his face away and wiping his eyes again. “Just leave me alone. Don't you have a job to do?”

Gwen sat down in the row before him. “Yeah, but I care about you a lot more than I care about this dump.” Max didn't say anything, so Gwen continued the conversation for him. “You don't want to leave your friends, do you?”

Max rolled his eyes before sitting down next to his bag. He kept his eyes on the floor, letting silence settle between them for a few moments. “I don't know why you guys were always so desperate for me to make friends,” he said eventually. “This sucks.”

“Yeah, it does.”

Max huffed. “What, no sage words of grown-up wisdom?”

“Not really,” she said with a shrug. “That's just life, kid. You get attached to things you can't always keep.”

Max sighed, curling in on himself. He looked miserable, and Gwen really did feel bad for him. Despite the effort Max put into not caring about anything so he'd never be left hurting when it was taken away, he'd made friends with kids he knew he'd only be with for the summer. If the circumstances were any different, she would have at least smirked at the irony.

All she did for now was stand up, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “Don't be so quick to give up on them,” she said. Max turned to look up at her with big, sad eyes, and she offered him a reassuring smile. “I'm sure they're just as sad about leaving as you are. But distance doesn't have to be the end of everything. You've all got phones, right? Use 'em.”

Not having anything else to say, Gwen turned and made her way off the bus. A quiet “Thanks, Aunt Gwen,” drifted out behind her. She awarded herself with a smile and a small nod before returning to finish helping pack up the camp.

***

The bus rattled to a stop in the parking lot they'd chosen as this year's pick up point, David and Gwen pulling up not too long after. They'd followed behind in their own cars, trusting the Quartermaster to keep order on the bus in their absence. QM swung the door open and turned back to watch as the campers began to gather up their things and make their way outside. There were already a few parents there waiting; Ered, Nerris, and Space Kid gave the group some quick goodbyes and were whisked away a few minutes later.

After that, the group petered out one by one. First Preston, then Dolph, then Nurf, Neil, and Harrison. Max had to wait with David for everyone else's parents to come, and Nikki's mother almost seemed to have forgotten.

As the minutes ticked by and there was still no sign of Candi, David turned to Gwen with a small smile. “You can go ahead and leave, Gwen. I'll wait for Nikki to get picked up.”

“Are you sure? I thought you were dying to get home.” She knew how excited he was to be a dad again; it was all he'd talked about for the past few days.

David glanced at Max sitting next to Nikki on the curb, neither one of them talking, just enjoying each other's company for what might be the last time. When Neil's father came to pick him up, Max tried his hardest not to look upset, but David knew he was. “I'm sure.”

She only hesitated for a moment before accepting. “Alright,” she said, giving David a quick hug. “Say goodbye to Max for me. And text me some time; we'll all get together for dinner or something.”

“Sounds good.”

With that, Gwen climbed into her car and started the engine. David waved until she had left the parking lot, and she gave a quick wave back through the window. Then, it was just David and the two kids. He kept back, giving them their space while they waited, torn between wanting Nikki to get picked up soon and for his son to have as much time as possible with his friend.

Nikki's mother finally arrived an hour late. She pulled up to where the kids were sitting, completely unapologetic for her tardiness, and got out of the car to open the trunk for Nikki's bag. “Nicolette, how is it that you're so covered in dirt? Didn't they make you wash before you left camp?”

Nikki scoffed. “They _tried!_ ” Her voice was proud, like it was an achievement to have gotten through the whole summer without showering.

Candi sighed. “I guess you'll just have to do it when we get home.”

As Nikki groaned at the thought of impending cleanliness, Candi opened the car door and shooed her inside. She rounded the car to get back to the driver's seat, not even looking up at David or Max as she did—not that either of them were surprised. “Try not to get too much dirt on the seats, okay?” she said as she got in, shifting the car into drive and stepping on the gas only seconds later. Nikki waved at them from the backseat as the car pulled away.

They watched the car go, David waving and Max sulking until it had disappeared from view. David took a deep breath and put on a gentle smile as he dropped a hand down on Max's shoulder. “C'mon monster,” he said softly, using the old nickname in an attempt to cheer him up. “Let's go home.” Max grabbed his bag and let David steer him towards the car while, unbeknownst to him, Nikki watched slack-jawed as her mom U-turned in the street.

Bypassing the trunk, Max threw his stuff down next to him in the back seat. David slipped in behind the wheel, quickly glancing over the lot to make sure nothing had been forgotten before starting the engine and pulling away.

For a long time neither one of them spoke. Max glared at his shoes, hating himself for being so emotional. This is why it was stupid to care—you let people in and then they leave you behind. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn't feel like answering it. It was probably either Nikki or Neil, making an attempt to keep in contact like they'd promised. Max shook his head. That would last for all of two months before they forgot about it. They'd spend all their time with their real friends, and Max would fall to the background of their minds, and next summer Neil would go to science camp and Nikki would go adventuring and he'd be stuck alone at shitty Camp Campbell and that would be it. He'd never talk to them again.

“Did you find out where Nikki and Neil live?” David spoke up out of nowhere.

Slightly startled, Max looked up from where he'd been sulking in the back seat. “What? Why?”

David gave him a little shrug. “Maybe this doesn't have to be goodbye. I know you don't think they'll come back to Campbell's next year, but that doesn't mean you'll never see them again. If they live close enough, I'd be happy to drive you over on the weekends so you could hang out.” What he didn't say but they both knew was that these were Max's first friends. His only friends. There was nothing David wouldn't do for his son's happiness, and damn it all if he was going to let Max just give up on some of the few people he actually cared about.

Max leaned his arm against the window, turning his head to watch the trees on the side of the road whiz by. “It's not that simple,” he grumbled into his elbow.

David glanced back at him in the rear-view mirror, letting the silence stretch between them for a few moments. “You didn't tell them, huh?” He knew he'd said he would be okay with Max calling him David at camp, and for the most part he was. But in moments like this, it hurt.

Max sighed. “David...”

“They won't care, Max,” he said reassuringly. “They might think it's a little weird at first, and they'll probably want a few things explained, but they're your friends—this won't matter to them.”

“You don't know that.”

“No, but I do know them. And I know they care about you too much to stop being your friend just because your family happens to be a little odd.”

For a long while, Max said nothing. The car was quiet as David turned onto the highway to head back to their apartment. As soon as he was able, David had moved the two of them out of Mr Campbell's house into a place of their own. It was almost laughably small in comparison to the big house Max had grown up in, but David had never been quite comfortable living in a house that wasn't his. And after everything that went down over the summer with Mr Campbell and the FBI, David couldn't have been happier to not have to rely on the man for anything.

Max's phone had buzzed a few more times during the drive. He still hadn't looked at the texts, but they did get him thinking. “But what if they don't?” he said eventually. David shot him a confused look in the rear-view mirror, so he clarified, “What if they don't care enough? What if they think it's too weird? Or that I'm a freak, or—”

“They won't, Max.”

“But what if they _do_?”

David sighed. “I guess you'll just have to have a little faith in them.”

***

It was getting late by the time David and Max made it back to their building. David dropped Max off in front, promising to be back soon with the pizza and ice cream for their movie night.

Max let himself inside, quickly making his way to his room. He threw his bag down on the floor and flopped onto his bed, happy to be home and finally have a place just for himself again. He hadn't had to share a tent at Campbell's in years, and as much as he liked Neil, nothing beat not having to worry about roommates.

He'd only been laying down for a few moments when his phone buzzed again with yet another received text. Max frowned. He hadn't been keeping count, but he had to have received at least ten texts since leaving camp. No one ever texted someone who wasn't responding that much unless there was a problem. Or unless Nikki and Neil had started a group chat, he reasoned, trying to assuage the sinking feeling in his stomach.

That wasn't the case. Unlocking his phone, he was greeted with eight texts from Nikki, another four from Neil, and a missed call. Based on the most recent texts displayed in his messages, Max knew he wasn't going to like what the rest of the them had to say. He steeled himself, opening Nikki's first.

_dude, are you leaving with david? it totally looked like you left with david_

_why didn't you wait for your parents?_

_you know, david never seemed the type to let you flake on things like that_

_wait he didn't kidnap you, did he?_

_is he taking you back to camp? is he gonna lock you in a cellar? do i need to call the cops?_

_why aren't you answering?_

_i was only joking about the kidnapping thing, but now i'm worried. please tell me he didn't actually kidnap you_

_max seriously, are you okay?_

And of course Nikki hadn't kept what she saw to herself, because there were a few along the same vein from Neil.

_Nikki just said she saw you leave with David; didn't your parents come to get you?_

_Is something wrong? You can tell us if it is._

_I told my dad your parents didn't come. He said you can stay with us if you need to._

_Please answer. We're worried. We just want to know you're okay._

Max groaned and threw his phone down on the bed next to him. This was the last thing he needed to deal with right now. He tried to come up with a suitable lie to tell his friends about why he left with their counselor but couldn't think of anything. No matter what he said, they'd be worried that his parents had left him. Unless he told them the truth, but then they'd think he was a freak

The sound of the lock on the front door turning broke into Max's thoughts. Not long after, he heard David call, “Max, I'm back!” On any other day he would have gone out, snagged a slice of pizza, and plopped down on the couch to enjoy himself for an evening. Now, he groaned and dragged a pillow over his face. He didn't want to deal with any of this.

“Max?” David called again, his voice shortly followed by the sound of his footsteps coming closer to Max's room. When Max didn't answer, he knocked on the door. “It's dinner time.”

Max groaned again. “Yeah, I got it. I'll be out in a minute.”

David hovered outside his door for a few seconds before Max heard his footsteps retreating back down the hall. Max stayed motionless for a few moments more before pulling the pillow away from his face. He let out a long sigh, taking a moment to gather his energy before pushing himself up off his bed. He left his phone where it was as he stalked into the hall and down towards the living room.

“Is everything okay?” David asked from the kitchen, eyeing Max carefully as he dropped onto the sofa.

“Why wouldn't it be?”

There was a beat of silence as David walked into the living room, placing a stack of napkins down on the coffee table. “I got a call from Neil's dad while I was picking up the pizza.”

“Oh, yeah?” Max said, trying for nonchalant but not quite hitting the mark. “What'd he want?”

“He seemed pretty worried that your parents didn't come to pick you up.”

Max swallowed nervously, staring at the TV instead of looking at his father. “And what'd you tell him?”

“That I had it under control. That I couldn't share the details of a camper's home life with someone else, but that you were safe and being looked after.”

Eyes still on the screen, Max nodded numbly. The couch cushions sunk as David sat down next to him, and Max could feel his father's eyes on him. After a beat of silence, David said softly, “What happened?”

Max fidgeted for a moment. “Nothing important. I don't want to talk about it.”

Thankfully David let it go for the moment. Rather than press the issue, he just said, “Why don't you put on the movie?” As Max grabbed the remote, David got up and went to the kitchen, coming back with the pizza and setting it down on the coffee table. Normally, David would insist that they use plates, but the first night home from camp was a special occasion for both of them, and David relaxed on the rules a bit.

As the opening music of the movie started up, Max pushed all thoughts of his friends out of his mind. He wanted to have fun making fun of bad movies, not agonize over what Nikki and Neil would think of him after this.

Four hours, two movies, and half a gallon of ice cream later, Max retreated back to his room. He quickly changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. His phone was still lying where he had left it. He eyed it warily for a few seconds before grabbing it. There were a number of new messages from Neil and Nikki, but he ignored them all, instead sending a message to start group chat for the three of them. _i'm not dead, so you can stop freaking out or whatever_

It was almost midnight, so he wasn't really expecting his friends to see it until the morning. Neil's reply, however, came in only seconds later. _Max! Thank fuck you're okay!_

Max almost smiled at that, but a small pang of guilt twinged in his chest at the same time. He hadn't realized just how worried his friends had been over his silence. _yeah, i'm fine, so you can calm down now_

Of course, despite the reassurance, another text from Neil came almost instantaneously. _What happened? Did your parents ever come get you?_

Before he had the chance to reply, a message from Nikki popped into the conversation. _holy shit max i thought you were dead!_

_only on the inside,_ he sent back.

_You did get picked up, though, right?_ Neil pressed.

_yeah, it's fine. my dad brought me home like a minute after nikki left_

_oh good,_ Nikki sent, her relief clear even through text. _when i saw you leaving with david i thought your parents had ditched you or something_

_he didn't leave me,_ Max sent back, adding, _or forget_ in a second text as an afterthought.

_then what took him so long?_

_And why did you leave with David?_

Max could feel a tremble building up in his hands. “Just have a little faith,” he mumbled, repeating his dad's words like a mantra in his head as he typed out, _david is my dad. i just call him david while we're at camp because people get weird about it_

He held his breath and hit sent, immediately locking his phone as if having the screen off would protect him from the agony of waiting for a response. His confession seemed to stump his friends, and the minutes of silence stretched into a small eternity for Max.

Eventually, a reply came in from Nikki. _seriously?_

Max frowned. _why would i lie about something like that?_

There was another pause in the conversation as Nikki and Neil took a moment to digest that information. This time it was Neil who broke the electronic silence. _How does that work? I mean, you hate him._

_and you two have such great relationships with your parents,_ Max typed out, pushing snark into each keystroke.

_Point taken._

A few seconds later, Nikki piped up with her own question.  _wait how is david your dad?? isn't he like 20?_

_24,_ Max sent back, rolling his eyes, _and i'm adopted_

_Obviously,_ came Neil's quick response.

Max chuckled softly. _yeah, no surprise there_

Dropping his phone by his side for a moment, Max rolled onto his back with a small smile. It felt nice to be joking about this with Nikki and Neil. It felt... normal. Nothing about his family had felt normal to Max since he was seven, and the older kids at camp made fun of him for having a dad their parents said was barely older than a kid himself.

Before too long, his phone buzzed again, and he grabbed it to see what had been sent. It was from Neil. _Why didn't you tell us?_

Max bit his lip, thumbs hovering over the keyboards as he thought about what to say. _like i said, people get weird about it. i didn't want to scare you off or anything_

_it's not weirder than anyone else at camp's family,_ Nikki sent.

Which was true, Max thought to himself. He had spent most of Parent's Day angry that no one else's family got questioned, no matter how unconventional it was, but he hadn't stopped to considered that that might mean his family situation might be accepted as well. _i guess i never thought about it like that_

_You really thought we wouldn't want to be friends with you just because David's your dad?_

Well, when it got put that way even Max agreed it sounded a little dumb. _i don't know. it's just not something i really talk about_

Saying that, of course, did nothing to satiate his friends' curiosity or deter them for asking more and more and more questions. Max was surprised to find that they'd so quickly returned to their usual dynamic despite the scare he'd given them that afternoon. He wasn't entirely comfortable talking about his family after so long keeping it a secret, but for his friends he was willing to try.

***

When Max rolled out of bed the next morning, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He'd finally told his friends his big secret, and they didn't hate him for it! Suddenly everything David and Gwen had said about the three of them remaining friends after camp ended seemed possible. They could meet up on the weekends, or have Skype calls or Snap streaks. Nikki and Neil could come over and spend the night and it wouldn't be weird. Max felt a smile pulling at his lips and didn't bother trying to hide it.

David was already in the kitchen when Max walked in. A large stack of pancakes and a mug of coffee were waiting for him on the table. David beamed at him when he sat down, obviously catching on to his son's improved mood.

“Good morning, Max,” he said cheerily.

_Yeah, it is,_ Max thought as he took a sip of his coffee, smile growing a little bigger. He knew David gave him half decaf, but today he really didn't mind. “Morning, Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that! Thanks so much for reading! I'm a lot happier with this chapter than the previous one, so I hope you enjoyed it. I think I'm done with this series now, I don't have any more ideas, so I'm going to go ahead and mark it complete. 
> 
> With this all finished, I might try to go back and finish some of my other WIPs that I've abandoned, but... no promises. I don't have any other ideas for Camp Camp fics right now, so I'm not sure when, or even if, I'll get another fic up for this fandom. Still, it's been an absolute pleasure being here with all of you! Thanks so much for sticking with me throughout this series!!


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